


School Days

by AniPendragon



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Friendship, High School, Romance, connected oneshots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-18
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-04-26 21:45:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5021632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AniPendragon/pseuds/AniPendragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being a teenager isn't easy - dealing with hormones, relationships, and battling homework can be impossible. For alien superheroes, it's even harder. But somehow, Conner and M'gann manage to stumble their way through high school, all while making friends, discovering who they are, and saving the world in their spare time. A series of connected oneshots from Happy Harbor High.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Haircuts

_In which Conner's Tommy Terror disguise doesn't wash out._  


No matter how many times Conner showered, his hair refused to return to its proper colour. That, combined with the ridiculous haircut he had no way of fixing, made him scowl into the bathroom mirror every time he passed it.

"Conner," said M'gann. "We have to go or we'll be late for school." She poked her head into the bathroom, where Conner was gripping the sink and glaring at his hair. He half hoped he'd suddenly develop heat vision. At least if he was bald he wouldn't be blond.

" _Conner."_ M'gann's mental voice brushed against the inside of his mind. A sour flavoured tickle that betrayed her concern more than the tone of her words. He sighed, glanced at her reflection in the mirror.

" _They'll laugh at me,"_ said Conner mentally. Images of Marvin's cheeky grin and Wendy trying her hardest not to snicker floated between them. He may have been invincible, but that didn't mean he wanted to be laughed at. Verbal barbs and looks were far more harmful than any punch or kick. Even with his lack of social experience, Conner knew that.

M'gann walked up to him, her hand on his shoulder. _"No, they won't."_ Her mental words were a gentle brush. A quiet comfort in the cold, stark bathroom of the Cave. Conner wasn't sure when they had switched to mostly mental conversations. Wasn't sure if it was to keep others from hearing them or because their words held so much meaning when they weren't lost in the vast space of the Cave.

"They could," said Conner, switching back to verbal speech. His voice caught, leaving it hoarse. "They will."

M'gann sighed and leaned against the door frame. " _I_ won't," she said. "And I'll tell the girls not to."

Conner looked back at her, one hand still gripping the sink. He was nearly certain that he wouldn't break it. If he did, he knew Batman wouldn't give him any grief over it. Just get that look on his face that said he was thinking hard about Conner's lack of help in learning to use his powers.

M'gann was giving him the same look now. He must have been projecting again. She only got that look when he was projecting.

" _Sorry,"_ said M'gann. And her mental words brushed the fear from his surface thoughts and laid it to rest where he didn't have to worry. Taking M'gann's hand, Conner kissed her knuckles, and tugged her toward one of the Cave's many exits.

* * *

School wasn't as bad as Conner thought it would be, but it also wasn't as easy as M'gann said it would be. Conner's hair got a lot of looks, but his glare was improving, and that kept most people from staring too long. He could hear their whispers once they were out of his immediate vision, however, but he tried not to focus on them.

As Marvin and Wendy approached, Conner saw Marvin's eyes bug out and his lips curl into a cheeky grin.

"Dude," said Marvin. "What happened to your hair?"

Conner scowled and said nothing. M'gann jumped in when she realized he wasn't going to speak.

"I've been practicing with hair dye, I wanted to try changing my own hair but I was worried about messing up. Conner offered to be my guinea pig!" she said. Her perky tone and bright smile were easy to believe, and if Conner didn't know what was actually going on with his hair, he might have believed her as well.

"That's fair," said Marvin. "The hair cut though? He kind of looks like Tommy Terror."

Conner and M'gann looked at each other. "Uh…," they said.

"Marvin leave him alone. I'm sure Conner would rather talk about something else," said Wendy.

"Thank you," said Conner.

Wendy folded her arms and grinned. "Like how you two were holding hands when you got here."

"I take it back, you're just as bad as Marvin," said Conner.

M'gann blushed and ducked her head. "Well, you see, we. Um."

"We're dating," said Conner. He shrugged and took M'gann's hand again. "So let's get the 'I told you so's' over with. I don't want to be late to Mr. Carr's class."

" _Conner!"_ said M'gann, her mental voice hot and sharp.

Conner raised an eyebrow at M'gann. _"What? Are we not supposed to tell them?"_

" _What if they tell the others?"_ asked M'gann, a hit of desperation in her usually calm voice. The sour apple flavour of her mental voice turned even bitterer, flushing his tongue with a taste so strong he wanted to gag.

" _M'gann. I really don't think that's likely."_

" _Why not?"_ asked M'gann.

Conner raised an eyebrow. _"Other than the fact that they haven't met the others?"_

M'gann blushed. The sour apple taste receded.

Marvin and Wendy were looking at them funny.

"Did you two just have an entire conversation with your eyebrows?" asked Wendy. Her tone betrayed her confusion more than anything else.

Marvin was grinning. "That's so cool!" he said, pumping a fist into the air.

"What's cool?" asked Karen as she and Mal walked up. Mal glanced at Conner's hair with raised eyebrows.

"Man you-" started Mal.

"Don't," said Conner, cutting him off sharply.

Mal raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright."

"I like it," Karen declared, her authoritative tone cutting the murmuring in the small group. She reached over and carded her fingers through Conner's hand. He tilted his head toward her without realizing it. It felt _nice_. He'd have to get M'gann to do that later.

" _Sure thing,"_ M'gann murmured.

"It doesn't suit you like the black does, but a little change never hurt anyone," said Karen. "Besides, you're already weird, might as well embrace it."

Conner raised an eyebrow at her words. "Weird?" he echoed.

"She means it as a compliment," said Wendy. "Karen likes weird."

Karen grinned. "That I do. Marvin's even convinced me to watch the old Alien movies with him because they're weird." She paused. "The first one was the best, and really great."

Marvin high-fived her. "Totally!"

Conner relaxed. It appeared his hair wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. And with Karen saying it was nice – and her status in school, according to M'gann's "crash course in high school politics" – he would be fine until his hair grew out again.

"Alright people," said Mr. Carr, clapping his hands as he walked toward the students. "Let's get to class." His gaze fell to Conner and M'gann. "What happened to your hair?"

Conner scowled. M'gann laughed. Mr. Carr had the decency to look apologetic, at least.

Without another word, Conner slung an arm around M'gann and walked toward class.

"It makes me look cool," said Conner, mimicking the dry tone Robin was so good at.

M'gann's laughter filled his ears as they headed to class.


	2. Chemistry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos! Please comment if you like the chapter. Story will update every other Saturday.

_In which Marvin is bad at science and Conner is glad he's fireproof._  


Chemistry class was always an exercise in restraint for Conner for three reasons. First, he and M'gann hadn't been paired together. Second, he'd ended up paired with _Marvin._ Third, Marvin was absolutely awful at Chemistry.

Today, the pairs were instructed to set up a Bunsen burner, melt a specific array of components into the beaker, and then flash cool it in the ice bucket to create a sort of hardened foam. The teacher had mentioned there was a surprise if the pairs managed to do it correctly. Conner had scanned his Cadmus implanted knowledge and looked for what the components would mix into, but he hadn't had much luck.

"Any ideas?" he asked M'gann. She and Wendy were partnered up next to him and Marvin.

She shrugged. "Nope!" Then she grinned. "Maybe it'll smell really good."

"Or maybe it'll explode," said Marvin, sliding up to Conner. Conner shot him a look. The last thing he needed was for this experiment to explode.

"I hope not," said M'gann.

Wendy patted her shoulder. "I don't like when they explode either," she said.

The pairs set to work on mixing their components into the singular beaker. Conner made sure to carefully measure out each component before adding it. He checked and double checked. Studied them closely. Even read the labels over and over again.

" _Always the perfectionist,"_ said M'gann fondly. Her mental voice wrapped itself around Conner's thoughts. He couldn't help but smile.

" _Of course,"_ he replied, letting his own thoughts entangle with hers. _"How are you with that burner?"_

M'gann was watching Wendy pour the components into the beaker. She stood back a foot and measured things out, carefully keeping one eye on the flames.

" _Fine,"_ said M'gann. _"Wendy thinks I'm scared of fire, which helps. She's very understanding."_

Conner let the link drop after a last brush of his affection at M'gann's mindscape. Then he returned to keeping all his attention on the ingredients before him.

To his left, Marvin leaned against the counter, folding his own lab instructions into a paper airplane. In his peripheral vision, Conner could see Marvin putting all of his effort into the creases. His tongue was sticking out. His hair hung in his face. Conner shook his head and kept measuring.

He grabbed for the glass rod to stir the mixture, only to notice it was missing.

"Marvin? Did you get the glass stir rod?" asked Conner. Marvin hummed noncommittally. "Marvin." Conner let his voice go firm.

Marvin sighed. "Yeah, yeah, it's somewhere." He made a vague hand gesture.

Conner sighed and looked around the lab table for it. The rod wasn't behind the Bunsen burner. Or with the second beaker. Or mixed with the components. He didn't find it with the measuring scoop or the scale or his own lab instructions.

Finally, Conner found it tucked into the sink, half balanced on the drain like a teetering dancer.

He plucked it up and stirred the mixture, careful to adjust the heat to keep it low and consistent. The beaker was starting to boil now. Conner's nose told him that it was heating evenly throughout. The color of the mixture turned from white to pale yellow as he stirred.

He couldn't help the smile on his face. This was going well.

"Ta-da," Marvin whispered, holding up his paper airplane. Conner fought the urge to crumple it. Marvin was not going to wreck this experiment.

But Marvin evidently wasn't listening to his thoughts, because he drew back and threw the airplane.

It spiralled through the air, making a lazy loop around the classroom. Karen ducked to avoid getting hit. Mal took a step back. Several other students made various sounds of protest as the airplane sped by. Conner kept one eye on the beaker and one on the airplane.

The paper airplane swept toward the teacher's desk. She flailed at it, but it was too high, and she only succeeded in knocking over her coffee.

"Shoot," hissed the teacher under her breath. She ducked out of the classroom door. Probably to find some paper towels.

"Oh dude, it's gold!" said Marvin. Conner looked at the mixture. Sure enough, it had turned a metallic gold.

Marvin grabbed a scoopula. "Hang on, I wanna paint some of it on the airplane."

Conner spied the metal chunk on the scoopula a moment too late. "Marvin no!" he shouted.

The scoopula hit the mixture and, almost immediately, it burst into flame. The fire roared up the scoopula, causing Marvin to drop it. From there, the scoopula hit the lab bench. The fire leaped, caught the lab instructions, and torched down toward the sink.

Marvin's hand, meanwhile, bumped the beaker, sending it crashing next to Wendy and M'gann. The fire caught their own beaker. M'gann yelped and jumped back, which made Wendy yelp as well. Which sent their beaker flying into the next and then the next and then the next.

Within moments, the entire row of the lab bench was a mess of broken glass, bubbling chemicals, and dancing fire.

Conner grabbed the ice bucket on the floor. Dumped it out in the sink and ducked toward the entrance of the room. He filled the bucket with sand and set to work pouring it on the fire. The fire licked close to his hands. And one of the students running away from it bumped him almost into the fire. The dull heat was nothing to Conner. He kept pouring sand.

In less than a minute, Conner had all the fire out. He sighed and set down the bucket.

"Dude are you okay?" asked Marvin. "I thought you put your hand in the fire!"

Conner nodded. "Yeah, fine. Just an optical illusion."

M'gann walked up to the two, where they now stood by the door. She smiled weakly at Conner. Wendy had her by the shoulders, probably holding M'gann up.

" _You okay?"_ asked Conner. She nodded.

A moment later, the teacher walked in. She dropped the paper towels in shock. "What happened in here?"

Conner jerked a thumb toward Marvin. "Why don't you ask him?" he asked. Marvin's only response was to groan.


	3. Ballroom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like the fic, please leave a comment!

_In which M'gann and Conner learn how to dance_

Mr. Carr had somehow – and Conner still wasn't sure how – ended up being the dance instructor for Conner and M'gann's class.

The entire class, M'gann and Conner included, stood in a loose semi-circle around Mr. Carr in the gymnasium. At Mr. Carr's feet was an old stereo and a slim stack of CDs. Conner eyed the stereo dubiously. Somehow, he doubted the sound would carry across the entire gym.

"All right people," said Mr. Carr, clapping his hands together. "I know I'm not who you expected for a dance teacher, and I know most of you would rather be anywhere else right now."

" _I don't know what he's talking about,"_ said M'gann. _"This is going to be fun!"_ Her excitement ignited her words in Conner's mind, leaving them sparkling. Conner barely suppressed a smile.

"But," continued Mr. Carr. "The next four classes are mandatory, and failing to show up and participate means falling your gym credit for this year. Got it?"

Various murmurs of agreement resounded in the gym. Most of them halting and annoyed. M'gann seemed to be the most excited of the bunch – Conner worried she'd lift right off the ground at this rate. But Wendy didn't seem too upset either. She and Karen were giggling over something, and Conner resisted the urge to listen in on their conversation. He was getting better at that.

"Now, partner up, let's get this started," said Mr. Carr.

Immediately, M'gann and Conner partnered up. Conner caught Wendy smiling in his peripheral vision, but he didn't quite understand why.

" _She likes how dedicated we are to each other,"_ explained M'gann.

" _Oh,"_ said Conner. _"I just don't want to dance with anyone else."_

M'gann slipped her arms around his neck loosely and kissed his nose. _"Exactly."_

"Awwww," said Marvin, though his voice was closer to mocking than it was to affection. Conner turned and saw Marvin clasp his hands in front of him and make kissy faces.

Wendy elbowed him hard in the gut.

"Ow!" said Marvin, rubbing his stomach.

Wendy rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to him, he's just jealous that Conner's taken."

Marvin squawked. "I am not!" he said.

"Don't worry about it Marvin, you're very handsome, you're just not my type," said Conner, patting Marvin's shoulder.

Marvin stumbled. "I. Well. You." He paused. "Wait, you think I'm handsome?"

"Very handsome," said M'gann, leaning over Conner's shoulder.

He grinned. Puffed up a bit. "Well, all right."

"People, people. We only have a little while each week to learn these steps. Let's get moving," said Mr. Carr. "Everyone, choose who leads."

"Oh, can I lead?" asked M'gann, bouncing up and done.

Conner shrugged. "Sure."

"You know the dude usually leads, right?" asked Marvin. Wendy elbowed him again. "Ow! Quit it."

"Megan always leads with everything else," said Conner. He shrugged again. "I've never cared before."

Marvin snickered. "Dude, you are whipped." Wendy elbowed him again. "Ow!" He rubbed his side. "That one seriously hurt."

"And you are seriously an idiot," said Wendy. She sighed. "Sorry."

"It's okay," said M'gann. Conner just shrugged again.

M'gann and Conner took position. M'gann set one arm on Conner's shoulder, he set one on her waist. They joined their free hands together, holding them the way Mr. Carr showed with a slightly sheepish Karen.

"Now, one, two, three. One, two, three," said Mr. Carr. He stepped forward, then to the side, then back. Slowly, he guided Karen around the room. She got into it, moving smoothly and even allowing him to spin her.

"All right," said Mr. Carr. Karen ducked back to Mal. "Now you try."

M'gann guided Conner around the room, her mental touch counting out the steps as they moved. They fell into a rhythm, not really leading or following, but simply flowing together. The two twirled around the room together, slowly spinning as they stepped around the others.

" _One, two, three, one, two, three,"_ M'gann said, keeping pace with their steps.

" _And dip,"_ said Conner. He released one of M'gann's hands to dip her. She let the other trail back over her head. He pulled her back up. _"And spin."_ Conner released one of her hands again and spun M'gann around. He took two steps before twirling her back into his arms. She came to rest with her back to his chest, her arms crossed and her hands in Conner's.

She tilted her head to smile at him. He kissed her nose.

Around them, a few people watched. Karen "aww'd".

"Very nice you two," said Mr. Carr. "You're naturals at this."

Marvin nodded, bouncing up to them. "Yeah, it's like you can read each other's minds or something."

M'gann and Conner looked at one another.

"Something like that," said Conner. M'gann giggled behind her hand.


	4. Nail Polish

_In which Conner doesn't care for gender norms._  


The cafeteria was filled with people, as it tended to be during lunch time. Tucked into a corner table were M'gann, Conner, Mal, Karen, Wendy, and Marvin, who were all discussing the latest addition to the Knights and Space Guns series.

"I'm telling you, this movie is looking like the best one yet," said Marvin, his arms waving animatedly above his head as he spoke.

Wendy sighed and leaned her cheek on her hand. "I just don't know how yet another movie about a bunch of knights in space can be interesting. This is, what, the fourth one?"

"Ah," said Marvin, waving his hand in front of her face. "But I played for that. You see, this one is about a dude knight and a _prince._ "

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "And?" she asked.

"They're dating," said Marvin, grinning.

_That_ got Wendy's attention. "Seriously?" she asked.

Marvin nodded. "Uh-huh."

"And you're still excited to go see it?" asked Wendy.

"Uh? Chyeah! It looks awesome, the special effects are spectacular, the aliens are totally original, and hey, I'm cool with watching the dudes do the whole 'I'm about to die, so let me kiss you one last time' thing." He shrugged, cheeks pink. "No big deal."

Karen narrowed her eyes at him. "You sure you're not gay?" she asked.

Marvin pinked further. His ears turned red. He opened his mouth to speak but it was only a few incoherent, "Uh, well, um's," before he rubbed the back of his neck and went silent.

"I don't see why he has to be to want to see this movie," said Conner, stabbing at his salad. "It looks great, and the actors playing the leads are pretty talented. Probably wrote a good relationship for them."

M'gann nodded. "Plus they're super cute, I'm looking forward to seeing it. You don't get to see a lot of sci-fi that doesn't subscribe to the classical guy-girl love story, ya know?" She shrugged as she finished, somewhat apologetic.

"If I see one more sci-fi movie where the guy thinks the green space alien is only good for her looks, I'm breaking the TV," said Conner.

"Conner please, that's a bit much," said M'gann, though she was blushing.

" _It's ridiculous, your skin colour doesn't make you a trophy!"_ hissed Conner.

M'gann patted his arm. _"I know. I know."_

"Hey, that reminds me," said Marvin, apparently getting his voice back. "Why are you wearing gloves inside, anyway?" he asked.

Conner looked down at his hands, and, sure enough, he was still wearing his gloves. It wasn't that he felt the cold in the winter, necessarily, but he liked to keep up appearances. Without much thought, he peeled off the gloves and tucked them into his back pocket. Then, he resumed eating his salad.

"Dude," said Marvin. "Are you wearing _nail polish?_ "

Conner glanced down at his nails. Sure enough, they were painted baby blue, with little light pink hearts painted on his thumb nails. He had forgotten about those.

"Yeah," said Conner. "Megan was testing out her new colours and needed someone to test them on." It was more than that. M'gann had been insisting for quite some time, whether verbally or silently, that she wanted to experience everything Earth teenage girls did. That included sleepovers, giggling over boys, and of course, hair, make-up, and nail care. Conner had ended up being her test subject for the last two. Not that he minded, it was fun to spend time with M'gann.

"And you _let_ her?" asked Marvin.

Conner gave him a flat look. "She asked. I said yes. It's not poisonous, Marvin." He paused and glanced at M'gann. "Is it?"

"Shouldn't be," said M'gann.

"See?" said Conner, gesturing toward M'gann with his spoon. "Perfectly safe."

Marvin sputtered and scoffed, waving his hands again in some attempt to sound coherent. "But. Well. Nail polish is for _girls_!"

"It is a little weird, man," said Mal.

Conner rolled his eyes. "What about those guys in black in fifth period, they wear nail polish." He thought about it for a second. "And eyeliner and sometimes mascara too."

"They're goth, Conner, or punk. I can never remember which," said Wendy.

"It's way different," said Karen. "Regular guys don't wear nail polish. Unless they're gay."

Conner leaned back in his seat and scowled. "Well, that's ridiculous," he said. "I think it looks great on me."

" _Conner, we're supposed to be blending in,"_ said M'gann. The concern of her voice was thick with sour-sweet anxiety, pockmarked with the bitter taste of fear.

"This whole idea that there are certain things only guys can do and certain things only girls can do is ridiculous," said Conner. He leaned forward and propped his arms on the table, stabbing a finger at Marvin accusatorily. "Why is nail polish a girls' only thing? It looks great! And make-up can too. And why are some sports only for guys? This whole idea that girls are weaker is ridiculous. I know women in this world that can kick me into next week. And the one time I tried to protect them, they told me exactly how stupid I was being."

"Conner," said M'gann. There was a low warning in her voice. He was getting loud and he knew it.

"It's stupid," said Conner, deflating. "It's all stupid."

M'gann sighed. "We should head back to class. Lunch is almost over." It was a decent subject change, if nothing else.

Conner got up and followed her, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he went.

" _Is this why Robin won't tell us about his dancing? Or that he loves Sailor Moon?"_ asked Conner.

M'gann's mental sigh wrapped around Conner and made him want to curl up with her forever. _"I think so."_

" _Humans are stupid,"_ said Conner.

That got a snort out of M'gann. _"Good thing we're not human, then."_

And that, if nothing else, made Conner smile a bit. He took M'gann's hand and, together, they walked to their next class.


	5. Gym Class Heroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which M'gann likes dodgeball and Mr. Carr needs overtime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Better late than never, though it is shorter than usual. Please leave a comment if you like!

"Today, we're going to play dodgeball," said Mr. Carr, who had inexplicably become their gym teacher for the week. A variety of cheers and groans went up at the statement. M'gann cocked her head to one side and shared a glance with Conner, who only shrugged in response.

" _Dodgeball?"_ she echoed, her voice warm and milky in his head.

" _Saw it on TV, not anywhere else though,"_ Conner replied. _"Basically. Tag. But with balls. And teams. And sides."_

M'gann stared at him.

" _Yeah, I don't get it either,"_ said Conner, a touch of a sigh in his mental voice.

"Mal, Conner, you pick teams," said Mr. Carr. "Conner, you pick first."

Conner's eyes immediately fell on his first choice. "Megan," he said.

A snort in the class rose up at his words. "Big surprise," said someone in the back.

M'gann joined Conner on his side of the gym. The team choices continued. Before long, the class was split down the centre. Mal, Marvin, and Karen were on one side with Mal's team and Conner, M'gann, and Wendy were on their side with their own team.

A quick explanation of the rules later – below the shoulder hits only, sit down on the benches if you get hit, and if you catch a ball someone on your team gets back up – and it was time to begin. Mr. Carr threw six balls into the gym, blew his whistle, and they were off.

Conner and M'gann worked well together. They were in sync – not even needing the link to perfectly coordinate their movements. In fact, the hardest part of the entire match was remembering to pull his throws. It was easy to forget, on a team full of people with powers, that not everyone could take a ball coming at them at fifty miles an hour.

Before long, the teams were down to only a pair of people on either side.

Mal and Karen stood on one side with Conner and M'gann on the other. Both pairs were each holding a ball and eyeing each across the black painted line on the gym floor.

Then, without warning, Mal and Karen wiped the balls at Conner. He wasn't fast enough to dodge them and both smacked him. He cursed and tossed his ball to M'gann.

Conner watched from the bleachers as M'gann dodged ball after ball, never throwing the one Conner had tossed her. She tossed the other, but it missed. She was down to one ball, with all the others on Mal and Karen's side.

M'gann took two running steps forward and threw. The ball smacked into Karen's hip and ricocheted into Mal's knee. Both of them dropped their balls in shock. M'gann cheered and leaped into the air.

"I did it!" she cheered. "Woo-hoo!"

Conner and the rest of the team rushed to congratulate her, all cheering.

M'gann grinned at Mal and Karen as they walked over.

"Good game?" asked M'gann.

"Very," said Karen. Mal nodded. Conner threw an arm around M'gann's shoulders and grinned at her.

" _You're amazing,"_ he said, brushing her mental link.

M'gann blushed and smiled at Conner, a softer, quieter, thing than her usual grin.

" _Thank you."_


	6. Cheerleading Practice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for something cute!

M’gann moved through the routine easily, shifting from step, into the pivot, then over into the cartwheel. She was impossibly light – giddy with the energy that came from a good practice and the excitement that came from knowing she was going to get to show off to her team when they got to school that morning.

Conner sat on a bench, reading Macbeth for English class. She was almost certain that he already knew the entire play – backwards and forwards, at that – but he always insisted on doing the reading for class. Something about understanding it for more than its facts, like what Cadmus had programmed him for. M’gann could understand that. There were many things she’d seen on television that she wanted to try for herself, but she’d never had the chance before she came to Earth.

She and Conner were a lot alike, in that way. It was part of why she loved him so much.

Conner’s head came up, brow furrowed, and M’gann flushed as she realized that last part had drifted over to him. He smiled and she managed a shy wave.

_“What are you doing?”_ he asked, the dark chocolate of his voice – a new flavour – washed over her mind.

_“Practice,”_ said M’gann. _“But this next part is meant for two people. I can’t practice it until the girls get here.”_

Conner raised an eyebrow and set down his book, shucking his jacket for the cool breeze – not that he noticed it, of course, but these things were done to blend it – and walking over to her. “I could try,” he offered. “I’ve seen you all do it enough. Just link up with me.”

She grinned. “Are you sure?” she asked. The mental link would serve well for the transfer, but she wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to do this, or was just doing it to appease her. It was hard to tell sometimes, and she didn’t like making him uncomfortable.

“Yeah,” said Conner, nodding. “I’d like to.”

M’gann smiled, shyer this time, and reached up to the side of his head. She pressed her fingers there and let the knowledge wash through him. His eyes flickered, glowing faintly green around the pupils for a second. M’gann removed her hand.

Conner tipped his head. “I think I understand,” he said, slowly. “Want to try?”

M’gann nodded, a bit faster than before, and took position.

With the mental link open, it was easy to sync their movements, and the two moved through the routine quickly. Arms up, stepping forward, back hand-springing across the field. Twisting upward only to peel off into cartwheels, then shifting back around to finish off with a flourish.

M’gann giggled and threw her arms around Conner. He hugged her back.

“That was amazing!” said M’gann.

“Yeah, it was!” M’gann turned at the voice and saw Wendy, Karen, and the other girls coming across the field. “Conner, where’d you learn to do that?”

He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking sheepish. “Oh, you know. Around.” He shrugged again and flashed a farm boy smile at M’gann before slipping soundlessly around the girls and heading back to his book.

“Your boyfriend is so weird,” said one of the girls.

“Yeah,” sighed M’gann, smiling as she watched him go. “But I like weird.”

The girls all giggled and nudged M’gann, before dragging her back to the centre of the field to practice all together. From the corner of her eye, M’gann could see Conner watching them all over his book, and she couldn’t help but grin harder as she practiced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are love!


	7. Coming Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Too long of a hiatus. Going to try and be more regular now. Very sorry.

Conner slung his backpack over his shoulder as he came out of the school at the end of the day. There was cheerleading practice, as there always was, and he wondered if he shouldn’t stick around to watch and work on his homework. He had _The Iliad_ in his backpack, and he’d been enjoying it quite a bit. That wasn’t homework, but it was far more appealing.

Then again, the girls always giggled when he stuck around to read. Something about being ‘supportive’ and ‘so cute’ and ‘wow he doesn’t want to watch as dance?’ He didn’t get it. But he didn’t get a lot of things about his classmates and fellow teenagers.

He wasn’t sure if that was an alien thing or a Cadmus thing. Probably the latter, considering M’gann had no trouble fitting in.

Frowning, Conner hesitated a few steps outside the door. He wasn’t sure what to do: Cave or M’gann’s practice?

As it turned out, he didn’t have to pick. His ears twitched, picking up the sound of sniffling and crying not far from him. Conner turned and followed after the noise, turning two corners on the outside of the school before he found Marvin, who was tucked against an inner corner of the school, sniffling and crying.

“Marvin?” Conner’s voice was hesitant as he spoke. He wasn’t sure what the protocol on this was. He knew what to do when M’gann or Zatanna cried. Or even Robin. But he’d never seen one of the guys from school cry. Something about boys not crying.

He thought it was dumb. So did M’gann.

But that didn’t change what he was seeing.

Marvin’s head jerked up at the sound of Conner’s voice. He wiped hastily at his eyes, hiding the tears but not their tracks, and sniffled again. “What do you want, Conner?”

If not for his hearing, Conner didn’t think he would have understood that sentence, mumbled and hoarse as it was.

“Are you…” He paused, frowned. Obviously Marvin wasn’t okay. Asking that would be stupid. He sat down against the wall across from Marvin. The little nook in the building served its purpose and kept them shielded from the rest of the world. “What’s wrong?”

Marvin said nothing.

Conner waited.

Two minutes passed.

“You wouldn’t get it,” Marvin mumbled into his knees. “I’m not like you. I’m just a freak.”

Conner thought of his heritage, his DNA, his anger, his Team. “I might get it more than you think,” he said, slowly.

“Doubtful,” said Marvin tightly. He was silent for two more minutes. Conner counted the seconds as he said nothing. “I’m not… I mean…” Marvin’s voice quivered as he spoke. “I’m not gay.”

“Okay,” said Conner. He wasn’t sure why that bothered Marvin. Perhaps it was the comments they’d made before?

“But…” Marvin swallowed audibly. “I do like guys. I think I’m bi.”

“Okay,” said Conner.

Marvin’s head snapped up. “Okay? That’s it? Okay? I’m not exactly normal, Conner.”

Conner held out his hand to Marvin. Green nail polish the same colour as M’gann’s usual skin tone. He thought of M’gann, who called herself a girl because that’s what she knew, but how she didn’t mind the rest of the words either. He thought of Robin, who struggled with sexuality, of Kaldur, who did as well. Of Zatanna and Raquel, who stared at each other when they thought the other wasn’t looking.

And of himself, and how he’d never labelled what he was because it had only ever been M’gann.

“Normal’s overrated,” said Conner. “You’re fine just the way you are.”

“You think?” asked Marvin, wiping his eyes again.

Conner nodded. “Obviously.” Conner shrugged and leaned back against the brick wall. “And if anybody tells you otherwise, they can answer to me.”

“Dude.” Marvin stared. “You’d probably kill them.”

“Your point being?” asked Conner, raising his eyebrows.

Marvin grinned, shaky but there, and launched himself at Conner, hugging him tightly and burrowing his face in Conner’s shoulder. Conner went tense.

“Thank you,” whispered Marvin.

Conner hugged him back. “You’re welcome,” he whispered back. And they stayed there until practice ended and the girls came looking for them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are love!


	8. Post Mission Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They don't always come out of a mission unscathed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay. Update.

It was hard to get up that morning. Conner didn’t want to and, by the constant low hum of M’gann in the back of his mind, she didn’t want to either.

They’d screwed up in a big way last night. The mission had gone wrong, Robin had gotten hurt, and now he was back in Gotham, probably recovering in a hospital, while the rest of them were shuffling around. Black Canary had sad it was important to keep moving forward, to work toward being the best team they could be, and to not let things set them back for long. ‘Don’t sweat the small things,’ she always said.

Conner didn’t think this was a small thing. He knew M’gann didn’t either.

 _“Conner?”_ Her mental voice drifted between his ears as he stood under the shower. His eyes fluttered open and he sighed, knowing she could feel it even if she couldn’t see it. _“Do we have to go to school?”_

He grimaced and rubbed his face before shutting off the water. He was washed. It didn’t matter if he stayed in any longer.

 _“We should,”_ he said, letting his own mental voice coat hers. They swirled together, green and blue, until they formed an aqua ocean between them, as vast and as deep as the infiniteness of their mental landscapes.

 _“I don’t want to,_ ” said M’gann.

Conner stepped out of the shower and took a deep breath, steadying himself. He could hear noise in the kitchen, no doubt Red Tornado trying to do something for them. Or maybe Black Canary. Or even another member of the Team. He couldn’t make his ears focus enough to try and figure out who it was.

He wasn’t sure if he cared.

 _“Neither do I,”_ he said.

 _“Can we just… stay home?”_ she asked. Conner slipped into his pants, not bothering with anything else, and exited the bathroom, heading toward M’gann’s room. The cool air of the cave raised hair on his body, but he paid it little mind.

He didn’t get cold, not really.

 _“Yeah,”_ said Conner. He tapped on her door. _“I don’t think we’d be any good at school today.”_

The door opened and M’gann stumbled into him, pressing her face into his chest. Conner wrapped his arms around her and led her back to her bed. The door automatically shut behind them and he and M’gann climbed into bed, wrapping the blankets around them and curling around her laptop. M’gann rested her head on his shoulder.

 _“Do you think anyone will notice?”_ asked M’gann.

 _“I don’t think they’ll care,”_ replied Conner. He pressed a kiss to her hair and slipped his arm around her waist. With the other, he started up a cooking show they both liked on the Food Network website.

As they watched, neither one spoke. They simply laid there, wrapped up in each other, as their thoughts swirled together until Conner couldn’t tell his from hers.

Images of missions, of times with friends. Images of him – those had to be M’gann’s – and of her – those were his. Flicker-flashes of ghost attraction as memories of Roy showing up shirtless one day emerged.

Conner still didn’t know whose those were. He and M’gann had been so tied together that day that the attraction had hit them at the same time. Sometimes he wondered if M’gann knew. But it wasn’t really important.

They had each other. They wanted each other.

Besides, the way Kaldur looked at Roy meant it never would have been a possibility. They wouldn’t do that to him. Not that they wanted to, besides.

The shows continued as Conner let the thoughts flood his mind, he and M’gann sharing their mutual anxiety and fear over the situation. They drifted, neither one really paying attention to the show, and eventually started to drift off to sleep.

After a time, both slipped into an uneasy sleep.

It wasn’t peaceful, but with each other, it was at least sort of comforting. Maybe they’d be better tomorrow.

Maybe Robin would be better tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are love!


End file.
